Re:CAL2-29 rewiring

I know that the Cal 29 manual was posted on one of the incarnations of this list at some point. I have a scan of it somewhere, but can't find it on my computer. In any case, the wiring diagram is of little use; as I recall it showed two batteries, a switch for them, and a few circuits for running lights and maybe the bilge blower. And the chances of your electrical system surviving this long without modification - either minor or major - is pretty small. When we rewired Pentaquod, it already had a rewired mast. (That's another story.) We used home-runs for as much as we could, and rewired almost everything. (The existing wiring ranged from original to household power cord "zip" wire.) We used about 300 feet of wire. Now, we did relocate the fuse boxes from the engine compartment at the head of the starboard quarterberth to a new box that we built over the shelf of the starboard quarterberth, so that probably increased our wire use. However, the new location made it much easier to see the switches and it also gave us room for the VHF radio and a CD/FM stereo and some other features, making it all very convenient. Note also that Practical Sailor now says that the requirement of tinned wire is a myth. (We used all tinned wire in our rewire.) The critical point, apparently, is to have sealing shrinkwrap fittings at the end. Moisture can only get in at the ends, and if those are sealed properly, you won't get corrosion and damage. If you don't seal them, it seems to make little difference whether the wire is tinned or not. Alfred 1973 Tartan 34C #288 "Jambalaya"

On Jan 2, 2009, at 6:16 AM, Alfred Poor wrote: > > I know that the Cal 29 manual was posted on one of the incarnations > of this list at some point. I have a scan of it somewhere, but can’t > find it on my computer. In any case, the wiring diagram is of little > use; as I recall it showed two batteries, a switch for them, and a > few circuits for running lights and maybe the bilge blower. And the > chances of your electrical system surviving this long without > modification — either minor or major — is pretty small. > > > > When we rewired Pentaquod, it already had a rewired mast. (That’s > another story.) We used home-runs for as much as we could, and > rewired almost everything. (The existing wiring ranged from original > to household power cord “zip” wire.) We used about 300 feet of wire. > Now, we did relocate the fuse boxes from the engine compartment at > the head of the starboard quarterberth to a new box that we built > over the shelf of the starboard quarterberth, so that probably > increased our wire use. However, the new location made it much > easier to see the switches and it also gave us room for the VHF > radio and a CD/FM stereo and some other features, making it all very > convenient. > > > > Note also that Practical Sailor now says that the requirement of > tinned wire is a myth. (We used all tinned wire in our rewire.) The > critical point, apparently, is to have sealing shrinkwrap fittings > at the end. Moisture can only get in at the ends, and if those are > sealed properly, you won’t get corrosion and damage. If you don’t > seal them, it seems to make little difference whether the wire is > tinned or not. > I made sure I had drip loops at each end of the wires and used an 8 gauge wire to a buss bar for the negative. That way, the negative side was low impedance but weight was limited. Mike Kennedy Conquest Cal 40 # 96 > > > Alfred > > 1973 Tartan 34C #288 “Jambalaya” > > >

On Friday 02 January 2009 10:21:21 Michael Kennedy wrote: > On Jan 2, 2009, at 6:16 AM, Alfred Poor wrote: > > I know that the Cal 29 manual was posted on one of the incarnations > > of this list at some point. Got it last night from one of the sites referenced on this list. Really appreciated it, so pls don't bother with any additional effort. > > I have a scan of it somewhere, but can’t > > find it on my computer. In any case, the wiring diagram is of little > > use; as I recall it showed two batteries, a switch for them, and a > > few circuits for running lights and maybe the bilge blower. And the > > chances of your electrical system surviving this long without > > modification — either minor or major — is pretty small. Absolutely correct but its a starting point. I wont take receipt of the vessel till late spring. Helping my friend rebuild/prepare his E-35 however was a good lesson. It was basically a bees nest of anything that was available in the shop at the time each electrical element was added by the PO and spliced into whatever source was available by some local shop. We took most of it out and completely rewired the baby. The only major design change we made was to relocate the battery selector and run a separate pony panel for the nav systems so they would be independent of the rest of the panel. Isolating these critical systems was considered a safety issue. Interestingly enough the only element that was solid was the mast wiring, "cause nobody messed with it" since the factory and it was all in good shape despite its age. >> We used about 300 feet of wire. > > Now, we did relocate the fuse boxes from the engine compartment at > > the head of the starboard quarterberth to a new box that we built > > over the shelf of the starboard quarterberth, so that probably > > increased our wire use. However, the new location made it much > > easier to see the switches and it also gave us room for the VHF > > radio and a CD/FM stereo and some other features, making it all very > > convenient. TKS for the wiring run estimate. Yes that's basically the plan to relocate everything to central distribution area (yet to be defined as that's another matter to take into consideration) Ive looked at all the pics on line I can find and the preferred area seems to be adjacent and to the right of the stove well. Not sure if I like it there but then why mess with what works. > > Note also that Practical Sailor now says that the requirement of > > tinned wire is a myth. (We used all tinned wire in our rewire.) The > > critical point, apparently, is to have sealing shrinkwrap fittings > > at the end. Moisture can only get in at the ends, and if those are > > sealed properly, you won’t get corrosion and damage. If you don’t > > seal them, it seems to make little difference whether the wire is > > tinned or not. Interesting point and a significant cost savings. Renewing my membership to Practical Sailor is also on the to do list..:) > I made sure I had drip loops at each end of the wires and used an 8 > gauge wire to a buss bar for the negative. That way, the negative side > was low impedance but weight was limited. Thanks all, that's really good advise. -- /ch

When I overhauled my wiring, I did the ground bus bar as well. In addition, I added junction blocks at a few locations as well, rather than true end-runs. An obvious place is for mast wiring, but I added them for: head wiring, galley wiring, vberth/nav light, engine instruments, cockpit area lights (binacle, nav, etc.), bilge pumps/float switches, and so on. The trade-off is easy trouble-shooting and replacement of equipment versus the need to check for corrosion at commissioning/de-commissioning. td From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com on behalf of Michael Kennedy Sent: Fri 1/2/2009 10:21 AM I made sure I had drip loops at each end of the wires and used an 8 gauge wire to a buss bar for the negative. That way, the negative side was low impedance but weight was limited. Mike Kennedy Conquest Cal 40 # 96 DISCLAIMER: Important Notice ************************************************* This e-mail may contain information that is confidential, privileged or otherwise protected from disclosure. If you are not an intended recipient of this e-mail, do not duplicate or redistribute it by any means. Please delete it and any attachments and notify the sender that you have received it in error. Unintended recipients are prohibited from taking action on the basis of information in this e-mail.E-mail messages may contain computer viruses or other defects, may not be accurately replicated on other systems, or may be intercepted, deleted or interfered with without the knowledge of the sender or the intended recipient. If you are not comfortable with the risks associated with e-mail messages, you may decide not to use e-mail to communicate with IPC. IPC reserves the right, to the extent and under circumstances permitted by applicable law, to retain, monitor and intercept e-mail messages to and from its systems.

Alfred, I too rewired my 29. I did as you did, installed a new Blue Seas panel above the starboard quarterbearth. I now have breakers for everything I need. Much of the old wiring was corroded beyond belief; my boat was always a fresh water boat, so it wasn't salt. It's a maintenance issue. It's old, suspect, so replace it. I used Ancor tinned because I worked for West at the time and got it cheap. Regards, David Dobbs, Cal 29 411 --- On Fri, 1/2/09, Alfred Poor <ap… [at] bellatlantic.net> wrote: From: Alfred Poor <ap… [at] bellatlantic.net> Subject: [Cal_Boats] Re:CAL2-29 rewiring To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Date: Friday, January 2, 2009, 8:16 AM I know that the Cal 29 manual was posted on one of the incarnations of this list at some point. I have a scan of it somewhere, but can’t find it on my computer. In any case, the wiring diagram is of little use; as I recall it showed two batteries, a switch for them, and a few circuits for running lights and maybe the bilge blower. And the chances of your electrical system surviving this long without modification — either minor or major — is pretty small. When we rewired Pentaquod, it already had a rewired mast. (That’s another story.) We used home-runs for as much as we could, and rewired almost everything. (The existing wiring ranged from original to household power cord “zip” wire.) We used about 300 feet of wire. Now, we did relocate the fuse boxes from the engine compartment at the head of the starboard quarterberth to a new box that we built over the shelf of the starboard quarterberth, so that probably increased our wire use. However, the new location made it much easier to see the switches and it also gave us room for the VHF radio and a CD/FM stereo and some other features, making it all very convenient. Note also that Practical Sailor now says that the requirement of tinned wire is a myth. (We used all tinned wire in our rewire.) The critical point, apparently, is to have sealing shrinkwrap fittings at the end. Moisture can only get in at the ends, and if those are sealed properly, you won’t get corrosion and damage. If you don’t seal them, it seems to make little difference whether the wire is tinned or not. Alfred 1973 Tartan 34C #288 “Jambalaya”

I am in the process of re-wiring California Girl, a Cal 40. 41 years of getting along, made it time. Personally I only use Ancor wire, as I like the small strands, and flexibility of the wire, and I perceive it to be very high quality. Dittos for the compression fittings. It is more expensive, but I got a Port Supply card, and that helps by @ 50% from list. Part of my regimen, is to "never" solder, and if wire is soldered or tined at a fixture like a light to cut that piece off. I've discovered three problems with soldered ends. One the wire is hard, and can break from just compressing a fitting on, second, the soldered end is very stiff, and tends to work harden and break, particularly at vibrating locations, like alternators, and finally I have had connections where the dissimilar materials (solder and copper) can create a resistor, and lower voltage (as much as 7 volts) once the wire connection gets into a corroded mode (the wire or solder is eaten out at the contact replaced by a salty grime) After stripping a wire, I heat the wire end and dip it into Lanocote, Which is an anti corrosion lanolin. I believe the lanolin is "sucked" up into the wire creating a moisture barrier, along with creating a corrosion barrier. I then insert the greasy wire into the compression fitting. I usually squeeze the connector in two location, first nearest the insulation, and then at the end. All connections have the glue lined shrink tubes. The shrink tubes work as strain supports for the connection and seal out moisture. I've made a rule for supporting wire, the distance between my thumb tip and little finger, when out stretched, @ 7" is my gauge for each support point. When using multiwire cable, be very careful when peeling off the skin to not nick the wire insulation. My Cal 9.2 factory wiring had many factory insulation nicks in the installation. At each location the wire failure began, and progressed as much a 4 feet into the wire, leaving a black powdery material, instead of copper. As I am using more LED products, keeping wiring properly sorted out is much more critical as to positive and negative. Some LED's explode when polarity is reversed. Maybe not ABYA, but all my terminal blocks are set up with the Negative buss bars to the outside of the boat. (It's usually thought to be negative to outside a boat, so there's the dumb logic). I have also rerouted most wiring up out of bilge areas, and a high as possible, not like our factory installs. Installing wiring and working on the boat has made me create a term for the awkward positions and poses that I have to make and hold to get into tight spots and support work, I call the work "BOAT YOGA". dEmO From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of david dobbs Sent: Monday, January 05, 2009 3:12 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Re:CAL2-29 rewiring(Alfred) Alfred, I too rewired my 29. I did as you did, installed a new Blue Seas panel above the starboard quarterbearth. I now have breakers for everything I need. Much of the old wiring was corroded beyond belief; my boat was always a fresh water boat, so it wasn't salt. It's a maintenance issue. It's old, suspect, so replace it. I used Ancor tinned because I worked for West at the time and got it cheap. Regards, David Dobbs, Cal 29 411 --- On Fri, 1/2/09, Alfred Poor <ap… [at] bellatlantic.net> wrote: From: Alfred Poor <ap… [at] bellatlantic.net> Subject: [Cal_Boats] Re:CAL2-29 rewiring To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Date: Friday, January 2, 2009, 8:16 AM I know that the Cal 29 manual was posted on one of the incarnations of this list at some point. I have a scan of it somewhere, but can't find it on my computer. In any case, the wiring diagram is of little use; as I recall it showed two batteries, a switch for them, and a few circuits for running lights and maybe the bilge blower. And the chances of your electrical system surviving this long without modification - either minor or major - is pretty small. When we rewired Pentaquod, it already had a rewired mast. (That's another story.) We used home-runs for as much as we could, and rewired almost everything. (The existing wiring ranged from original to household power cord "zip" wire.) We used about 300 feet of wire. Now, we did relocate the fuse boxes from the engine compartment at the head of the starboard quarterberth to a new box that we built over the shelf of the starboard quarterberth, so that probably increased our wire use. However, the new location made it much easier to see the switches and it also gave us room for the VHF radio and a CD/FM stereo and some other features, making it all very convenient. Note also that Practical Sailor now says that the requirement of tinned wire is a myth. (We used all tinned wire in our rewire.) The critical point, apparently, is to have sealing shrinkwrap fittings at the end. Moisture can only get in at the ends, and if those are sealed properly, you won't get corrosion and damage. If you don't seal them, it seems to make little difference whether the wire is tinned or not. Alfred 1973 Tartan 34C #288 "Jambalaya"

Timm, After just completing my rewire I can concur on your "Boat Yoga" definition. But I would have to expand it to "Chiropractic Boat Yoga" because I have never hurt myself as much as I did on week ends spent on my back upside down supporting my body on my head and neck to reach into spaces too small for humans! I too got all the wire out of the bilges and hung high as possible. For lighting I am using LED (draws .1 amp) and 12v CFLs (globe type that screw to old style fictures- draws .9 amp): http://www.led-cfl-lighthouse.com/category/690421 I also installed a CCFL dimmable florescent: http://www.lunasealighting.com/StoreBox/0000001/ll02-red_white.htm Very low draw .9 amp at full bright and about .2 amp on dimest, white and red light same fixture. Factory job was interesting: terminal blocks used were the old bayonet fittings (multi) with cripped wire only, no shrink tube or other protection. Plenty of corrosion and loose wires. It would never meet standards today but most (not all) lasted 40+ years. Mostly I glad its over! Mike To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.comFrom: ti… [at] ch2m.comDate: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 16:58:33 -0700Subject: RE: [Cal_Boats] Re:CAL2-29 rewiring(Alfred) I am in the process of re-wiring California Girl, a Cal 40. 41 years of getting along, made it time. Personally I only use Ancor wire, as I like the small strands, and flexibility of the wire, and I perceive it to be very high quality. Dittos for the compression fittings. It is more expensive, but I got a Port Supply card, and that helps by @ 50% from list. Part of my regimen, is to "never" solder, and if wire is soldered or tined at a fixture like a light to cut that piece off. I've discovered three problems with soldered ends. One the wire is hard, and can break from just compressing a fitting on, second, the soldered end is very stiff, and tends to work harden and break, particularly at vibrating locations, like alternators, and finally I have had connections where the dissimilar materials (solder and copper) can create a resistor, and lower voltage (as much as 7 volts) once the wire connection gets into a corroded mode (the wire or solder is eaten out at the contact replaced by a salty grime) After stripping a wire, I heat the wire end and dip it into Lanocote, Which is an anti corrosion lanolin. I believe the lanolin is "sucked" up into the wire creating a moisture barrier, along with creating a corrosion barrier. I then insert the greasy wire into the compression fitting. I usually squeeze the connector in two location, first nearest the insulation, and then at the end. All connections have the glue lined shrink tubes. The shrink tubes work as strain supports for the connection and seal out moisture. I've made a rule for supporting wire, the distance between my thumb tip and little finger, when out stretched, @ 7" is my gauge for each support point. When using multiwire cable, be very careful when peeling off the skin to not nick the wire insulation. My Cal 9.2 factory wiring had many factory insulation nicks in the installation. At each location the wire failure began, and progressed as much a 4 feet into the wire, leaving a black powdery material, instead of copper. As I am using more LED products, keeping wiring properly sorted out is much more critical as to positive and negative. Some LED's explode when polarity is reversed. Maybe not ABYA, but all my terminal blocks are set up with the Negative buss bars to the outside of the boat. (It's usually thought to be negative to outside a boat, so there's the dumb logic). I have also rerouted most wiring up out of bilge areas, and a high as possible, not like our factory installs. Installing wiring and working on the boat has made me create a term for the awkward positions and poses that I have to make and hold to get into tight spots and support work, I call the work "BOAT YOGA". dEmO From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of david dobbsSent: Monday, January 05, 2009 3:12 PMTo: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.comSubject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Re:CAL2-29 rewiring(Alfred) Alfred, I too rewired my 29. I did as you did, installed a new Blue Seas panel above the starboard quarterbearth. I now have breakers for everything I need. Much of the old wiring was corroded beyond belief; my boat was always a fresh water boat, so it wasn't salt. It's a maintenance issue. It's old, suspect, so replace it. I used Ancor tinned because I worked for West at the time and got it cheap. Regards, David Dobbs, Cal 29 411 --- On Fri, 1/2/09, Alfred Poor <ap… [at] bellatlantic.net> wrote: From: Alfred Poor <ap… [at] bellatlantic.net>Subject: [Cal_Boats] Re:CAL2-29 rewiringTo: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.comDate: Friday, January 2, 2009, 8:16 AM I know that the Cal 29 manual was posted on one of the incarnations of this list at some point. I have a scan of it somewhere, but can’t find it on my computer. In any case, the wiring diagram is of little use; as I recall it showed two batteries, a switch for them, and a few circuits for running lights and maybe the bilge blower. And the chances of your electrical system surviving this long without modification — either minor or major — is pretty small. When we rewired Pentaquod, it already had a rewired mast. (That’s another story.) We used home-runs for as much as we could, and rewired almost everything. (The existing wiring ranged from original to household power cord “zip” wire.) We used about 300 feet of wire. Now, we did relocate the fuse boxes from the engine compartment at the head of the starboard quarterberth to a new box that we built over the shelf of the starboard quarterberth, so that probably increased our wire use. However, the new location made it much easier to see the switches and it also gave us room for the VHF radio and a CD/FM stereo and some other features, making it all very convenient. Note also that Practical Sailor now says that the requirement of tinned wire is a myth. (We used all tinned wire in our rewire.) The critical point, apparently, is to have sealing shrinkwrap fittings at the end. Moisture can only get in at the ends, and if those are sealed properly, you won’t get corrosion and damage. If you don’t seal them, it seems to make little difference whether the wire is tinned or not. Alfred 1973 Tartan 34C #288 “Jambalaya” It’s the same Hotmail®. If by “same” you mean up to 70% faster. http://windowslive.com/online/hotmail?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_hotmail_acq_broad1_122008

Jan 6/09 Hi dEMO, Good Morning and best of the New Year, Thanx for posting your guidelines re rewiring your CAL-40....I appreciate the tutorial as I am rewiring my sailboat as well (1979 CAL-39).... Fair Winds & Following Seas, Bill --- On Mon, 1/5/09, ti… [at] ch2m.com <ti… [at] ch2m.com> wrote: From: ti… [at] ch2m.com <ti… [at] ch2m.com> Subject: RE: [Cal_Boats] Re:CAL2-29 rewiring(Alfred) To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Date: Monday, January 5, 2009, 4:58 PM I am in the process of re-wiring California Girl, a Cal 40. 41 years of getting along, made it time. Personally I only use Ancor wire, as I like the small strands, and flexibility of the wire, and I perceive it to be very high quality. Dittos for the compression fittings. It is more expensive, but I got a Port Supply card, and that helps by @ 50% from list. Part of my regimen, is to "never" solder, and if wire is soldered or tined at a fixture like a light to cut that piece off. I've discovered three problems with soldered ends. One the wire is hard, and can break from just compressing a fitting on, second, the soldered end is very stiff, and tends to work harden and break, particularly at vibrating locations, like alternators, and finally I have had connections where the dissimilar materials (solder and copper) can create a resistor, and lower voltage (as much as 7 volts) once the wire connection gets into a corroded mode (the wire or solder is eaten out at the contact replaced by a salty grime) After stripping a wire, I heat the wire end and dip it into Lanocote, Which is an anti corrosion lanolin. I believe the lanolin is "sucked" up into the wire creating a moisture barrier, along with creating a corrosion barrier. I then insert the greasy wire into the compression fitting. I usually squeeze the connector in two location, first nearest the insulation, and then at the end. All connections have the glue lined shrink tubes. The shrink tubes work as strain supports for the connection and seal out moisture. I've made a rule for supporting wire, the distance between my thumb tip and little finger, when out stretched, @ 7" is my gauge for each support point. When using multiwire cable, be very careful when peeling off the skin to not nick the wire insulation. My Cal 9.2 factory wiring had many factory insulation nicks in the installation. At each location the wire failure began, and progressed as much a 4 feet into the wire, leaving a black powdery material, instead of copper. As I am using more LED products, keeping wiring properly sorted out is much more critical as to positive and negative. Some LED's explode when polarity is reversed. Maybe not ABYA, but all my terminal blocks are set up with the Negative buss bars to the outside of the boat. (It's usually thought to be negative to outside a boat, so there's the dumb logic). I have also rerouted most wiring up out of bilge areas, and a high as possible, not like our factory installs. Installing wiring and working on the boat has made me create a term for the awkward positions and poses that I have to make and hold to get into tight spots and support work, I call the work "BOAT YOGA". dEmO From: Cal_Boats@yahoogrou ps.com [mailto:Cal_ Boats@yahoogroup s.com] On Behalf Of david dobbs Sent: Monday, January 05, 2009 3:12 PM To: Cal_Boats@yahoogrou ps.com Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Re:CAL2-29 rewiring(Alfred) Alfred, I too rewired my 29. I did as you did, installed a new Blue Seas panel above the starboard quarterbearth. I now have breakers for everything I need. Much of the old wiring was corroded beyond belief; my boat was always a fresh water boat, so it wasn't salt. It's a maintenance issue. It's old, suspect, so replace it. I used Ancor tinned because I worked for West at the time and got it cheap. Regards, David Dobbs, Cal 29 411 --- On Fri, 1/2/09, Alfred Poor <apoor@bellatlantic. net> wrote: From: Alfred Poor <apoor@bellatlantic. net> Subject: [Cal_Boats] Re:CAL2-29 rewiring To: Cal_Boats@yahoogrou ps.com Date: Friday, January 2, 2009, 8:16 AM I know that the Cal 29 manual was posted on one of the incarnations of this list at some point. I have a scan of it somewhere, but can’t find it on my computer. In any case, the wiring diagram is of little use; as I recall it showed two batteries, a switch for them, and a few circuits for running lights and maybe the bilge blower. And the chances of your electrical system surviving this long without modification — either minor or major — is pretty small. When we rewired Pentaquod, it already had a rewired mast. (That’s another story.) We used home-runs for as much as we could, and rewired almost everything. (The existing wiring ranged from original to household power cord “zip” wire.) We used about 300 feet of wire. Now, we did relocate the fuse boxes from the engine compartment at the head of the starboard quarterberth to a new box that we built over the shelf of the starboard quarterberth, so that probably increased our wire use. However, the new location made it much easier to see the switches and it also gave us room for the VHF radio and a CD/FM stereo and some other features, making it all very convenient. Note also that Practical Sailor now says that the requirement of tinned wire is a myth. (We used all tinned wire in our rewire.) The critical point, apparently, is to have sealing shrinkwrap fittings at the end. Moisture can only get in at the ends, and if those are sealed properly, you won’t get corrosion and damage. If you don’t seal them, it seems to make little difference whether the wire is tinned or not. Alfred 1973 Tartan 34C #288 “Jambalaya”

Thanks... Also take note of Mike Robinson's recommended Cold Cathode Florescent Lights... very interesting! http://www.lunasealighting.com/StoreBox/0000001/ll02-red_white.htm I just ordered one for my Galley. (they are available at Svendsens in Alameda California) dEmO From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of bill plywaski Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2009 11:54 AM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Cc: se… [at] yahoo.com Subject: RE: [Cal_Boats] Re:CAL2-29 rewiring(Alfred) Jan 6/09 Hi dEMO, Good Morning and best of the New Year, Thanx for posting your guidelines re rewiring your CAL-40....I appreciate the tutorial as I am rewiring my sailboat as well (1979 CAL-39).... Fair Winds & Following Seas, Bill --- On Mon, 1/5/09, ti… [at] ch2m.com <ti… [at] ch2m.com> wrote: From: ti… [at] ch2m.com <ti… [at] ch2m.com> Subject: RE: [Cal_Boats] Re:CAL2-29 rewiring(Alfred) To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Date: Monday, January 5, 2009, 4:58 PM I am in the process of re-wiring California Girl, a Cal 40. 41 years of getting along, made it time. Personally I only use Ancor wire, as I like the small strands, and flexibility of the wire, and I perceive it to be very high quality. Dittos for the compression fittings. It is more expensive, but I got a Port Supply card, and that helps by @ 50% from list. Part of my regimen, is to "never" solder, and if wire is soldered or tined at a fixture like a light to cut that piece off. I've discovered three problems with soldered ends. One the wire is hard, and can break from just compressing a fitting on, second, the soldered end is very stiff, and tends to work harden and break, particularly at vibrating locations, like alternators, and finally I have had connections where the dissimilar materials (solder and copper) can create a resistor, and lower voltage (as much as 7 volts) once the wire connection gets into a corroded mode (the wire or solder is eaten out at the contact replaced by a salty grime) After stripping a wire, I heat the wire end and dip it into Lanocote, Which is an anti corrosion lanolin. I believe the lanolin is "sucked" up into the wire creating a moisture barrier, along with creating a corrosion barrier. I then insert the greasy wire into the compression fitting. I usually squeeze the connector in two location, first nearest the insulation, and then at the end. All connections have the glue lined shrink tubes. The shrink tubes work as strain supports for the connection and seal out moisture. I've made a rule for supporting wire, the distance between my thumb tip and little finger, when out stretched, @ 7" is my gauge for each support point. When using multiwire cable, be very careful when peeling off the skin to not nick the wire insulation. My Cal 9.2 factory wiring had many factory insulation nicks in the installation. At each location the wire failure began, and progressed as much a 4 feet into the wire, leaving a black powdery material, instead of copper. As I am using more LED products, keeping wiring properly sorted out is much more critical as to positive and negative. Some LED's explode when polarity is reversed. Maybe not ABYA, but all my terminal blocks are set up with the Negative buss bars to the outside of the boat. (It's usually thought to be negative to outside a boat, so there's the dumb logic). I have also rerouted most wiring up out of bilge areas, and a high as possible, not like our factory installs. Installing wiring and working on the boat has made me create a term for the awkward positions and poses that I have to make and hold to get into tight spots and support work, I call the work "BOAT YOGA". dEmO From: Cal_Boats@yahoogrou ps.com [mailto:Cal_ Boats@yahoogroup s.com] On Behalf Of david dobbs Sent: Monday, January 05, 2009 3:12 PM To: Cal_Boats@yahoogrou ps.com Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Re:CAL2-29 rewiring(Alfred) Alfred, I too rewired my 29. I did as you did, installed a new Blue Seas panel above the starboard quarterbearth. I now have breakers for everything I need. Much of the old wiring was corroded beyond belief; my boat was always a fresh water boat, so it wasn't salt. It's a maintenance issue. It's old, suspect, so replace it. I used Ancor tinned because I worked for West at the time and got it cheap. Regards, David Dobbs, Cal 29 411 --- On Fri, 1/2/09, Alfred Poor <apoor@bellatlantic. net> wrote: From: Alfred Poor <apoor@bellatlantic. net> Subject: [Cal_Boats] Re:CAL2-29 rewiring To: Cal_Boats@yahoogrou ps.com Date: Friday, January 2, 2009, 8:16 AM I know that the Cal 29 manual was posted on one of the incarnations of this list at some point. I have a scan of it somewhere, but can't find it on my computer. In any case, the wiring diagram is of little use; as I recall it showed two batteries, a switch for them, and a few circuits for running lights and maybe the bilge blower. And the chances of your electrical system surviving this long without modification - either minor or major - is pretty small. When we rewired Pentaquod, it already had a rewired mast. (That's another story.) We used home-runs for as much as we could, and rewired almost everything. (The existing wiring ranged from original to household power cord "zip" wire.) We used about 300 feet of wire. Now, we did relocate the fuse boxes from the engine compartment at the head of the starboard quarterberth to a new box that we built over the shelf of the starboard quarterberth, so that probably increased our wire use. However, the new location made it much easier to see the switches and it also gave us room for the VHF radio and a CD/FM stereo and some other features, making it all very convenient. Note also that Practical Sailor now says that the requirement of tinned wire is a myth. (We used all tinned wire in our rewire.) The critical point, apparently, is to have sealing shrinkwrap fittings at the end. Moisture can only get in at the ends, and if those are sealed properly, you won't get corrosion and damage. If you don't seal them, it seems to make little difference whether the wire is tinned or not. Alfred 1973 Tartan 34C #288 "Jambalaya"